Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-24
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER.

II CONCLUSION OF HI MATTER.
When the rain ceased and the moon
began to shine, Jess was fleeing like a
wild thing ACROSS the plain on the top OF
the mountain. She felt no sense of FIX
haustion now or even WEAKNESS; her only
idea was TO get away, right away some
where, where she could lose herself and no
body would ever see her again. Presently
she came to the top OF Leuw kloot, and
in a bewildered way recognized the spot
and commenced TO descend it. Here was
4 place she might lie until she died, for no
one ever came there, except now and again
some wandering kat1ir herd. On she
sprang, from rock 10 rock, a wild, weird
figure, well in keeping with the solemn
and titsnic sadness OF the place.
Twice she fell, once right into the stream.
but she took no heed, she did not even
seem to feel it. At last she was at the
bottom, nov creeping like u black dot
across the bright spaces of moonlight and
now swallowed up in the shadow. There
before her was the mouth OF her little cave;
her strength was leaving her at last, and
she was tain to creep into it, broken heart
ed, crazed,~ and-dying.
"Oh, God, forgive me! God forgive me!
she moaned, rs she sank 100 the rocky
floor. Bessie, | sinned against you, but
| have washed away my sin. did it for
you, Bessie, love, not for myself. | had
rather have died than kill him for myself.
You will marry John now, and you will
never, never know what | did for ou. |
am going to die. | know that. | am
dying. Oh, if | only could see his face
once more before | die-before ! die"
Slowly the westering moonlight crept
down the blackness of the rock. Now at
last it peeped into the little cave and
played upon Johns sleeping face lying
within two feet of her. Her prayer had
been granted; there WAS her lover by her
side.
With a start and a great sigh of doubt
she saw him. Was he dead? She drag
ged herself to him on her hands and knees
and listened for his breathing, if perchance
he still breathed and was not 9 vision.
Then it came, strong and slow, the breath
of a man in deep sleep.
Should she try TO wake him? What for?
To tell him she was q murderess and then
| 10 iCl MN Stt uCl ult, lOl luobllIi oiu iti
that nature was exhausted; and she knew
that she was certainly gOing-going fast.
No, Il hundred times, no!
Only she put her hand into her breast
and drew Il the pass, on the back Of
which she had written to him, and thrust
it between his ~listlesS fingers. Ii should
speak for her. Then she leaned over him
and watched his sleeping face, n very in
carnatiOn of infinite, deSpairimg teudcrness
and love that is deeper than the grave.
! And us she watched gradually her feet and
legs grew cold and numb, till at length she
could feel nothing below her bosom. She
was dead nearly TO the heart.
The rays of the moon faded slowly from
the level at the little cave, and Johns face
grew dark TO her d%arkening sight. She
bent down ana kissed him once, twice,
thrice.
Then at last the end came. There WAS
a great nashing OF light before her eyes,
aud the roaring H. Of a thousand seas
within her ears, and her head sank gently
on her lovers breast a. On 4 pillow; and
there she died and passed upward toward
The wider life and larger liberty, or per
chance downward into the depths of an
eternal sleep.
Poor dark eyed, deep hearted Jess! This
WAS the fruitiOn of her love and this ner
bridal bed.
H. was done. She had gone, taking with
her the secret OF her self sacrifice and
crime, and the night winds moaning amid
the rocks sang their reIuieu over her.
Here she first had learned her love, and
here she closed It's book.
She might have keen a great and good
woman. She might even have been a hap
nv woman. But fate had ordained IL 9th
erwise. Women such ~ she ARE rarely
happy in the world. IL j. not well 10
the craft to load the dice. Well, her
troubles are done with. Think gently of
her" and let her pass in peace.
The hours grew 0u toward the morning,
but John, the dead face OF the WoInan he
had loved still pillOwed on his breast,
neither dreamed nor woke. There was a
strange and dreadful irony in the situation,
and one which sometimes finds a counter
part in our waking lite, but still the man
| slept and the dead wOman lay till the night
turned into the morning and the world
wake ND ~ usual The snnbeams slid
into the cave and played indiiierently upon
the aShen face and tangled curls and on
the broad chest of the living man Wherein
they rested. An old babOOn peeped round
the rocky edge and manifested no surprise,
only Indignation, at the intrusion OF
humanity, dead Or alive, into his dOmin-
ions. Yes, the world woke up IA usual,
and rocked not and troubled not because
Jess was dead.
1t was 80 accustomed TO such sights.
And at last john woke up, too. He
stretched mis- arms aud yawned, and then
for the first time became aware of the
weight upon his breast. He glanced down
and saw dimly at tirst-then more clearly.
There are some things into WHICH it is
wisest not to peer, and one Of them is the
first agony of a strong mans grief.
Happy was il for him that his brain did
not give way in that first lonely hour Of
bottomless despair. But he lived through
it, as we do live through such things, and
was sane and sound after it, though it left
its mark upon his life.
Two nouns laItI u Sduul, haesaiu hSuie
came stumbling down the hillside toward
the site of Mooifontein, bearing something
in his arms. The whole place was in conf
motion. Here and there were knots Of
Beers talking excitedly, who, when they
saw the man coming hurried up TO see
who it was and what he carried. But
when they knew they fell back awed and
without q word, and he, too, passed
through them without a word. For a mo-
ment he hesitated, realizing that the house
was burned down, and then turned into
the wagon shed and laid his burden down
upon the saw-bench on which Frank Null
Ter had sat as judge upon the previous
day.
Then at last he spoke in a hoarse voice,
"Where is the old mani" One Of them
pointed to the door of the little room.
''Open it!r he said, so tiereely that they
again fell back and Obeyed him without a
word.
".Johnl Johnr' cries Silss Croft Thank
God YOU have come back to Us from the
deadl' and, trembling with joy and sur.
prise, he would have fallen upon his neck.
"Hush!" he answered; ~ have brought